Pendulum hanger



March 25, 1969 J. L. HANCOCK ET AL 3,434,279

PENDULUM HANGER Filed April 26, 1967 United States Patent 3,434,279 PENDULUM HANGER John L. Hancock, Villa Park, and Solomon Edward Koplar, Chicago, Ill., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Solomon Edward Koplar, Chicago, Ill.

Filed Apr. 26, 1967, Ser. No. 633,847 Int. Cl. G04b 17/16 US. Cl. 58-134 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pendulum hanger for a battery-powered motor-operated spring-driven clock mechanism having a balanced self-aligning mounting upon a circular support forming an oscillating element of an escapement mechanism.

The principal object of this invention is to provide in a pendulum type clock a self-aligning oscillatory mounting or hanger interposed between the escapement mechanism of the clock and the pendulum. The improveed hanger inherently aligns itself with a vertical axis subscribed by the gravitational effects upon the free-swinging pendulum, without necessitating the minute vertical placement of the clock mechanism on a supporting structure.

The invention will best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing a preferred form of construction and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the clock mechanism together with the pendulum hanger and pendulum associated therewith;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the pendulum hanger in association with parts of the escapement mechanism;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the parts seen in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective vie-w of the pendulum hanger and its connection to the circular support provided by the escapement mechanism; and

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the unassembled pendulum hanger of this invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, We disclose a battery-powered spring-operated pendulum clock including a mounting wall having connected thereto spaced apart supporting plates 11 and 12 with the supporting plate 12 having mounted'thereon a battery-powered electric motor 13. Through a driven shaft which includes a worm gear 14, the motor 13 periodically rotates a spring-winding gear 15.

The portions of the clock mechanism as well as the specific functional operations of the electric motor 13 and spring-winding gear 15 may be identical to those shown and described in United States Letters Patent 3,113,639, and as such makes up no part of the present invention.

The clock mechanism normally includes an escapement mechanism having an escapement wheel 16 journalled on a suitable shaft extending between the supporting plates 11 and 12. The escapement mechanism also includes a pallet anchor plate 17 mounted on a suitable shaft 18.

The plate 17 provides two laterally extending spaced apart pallet pins 19 and 20 which have alternate striking engagement with the escapement wheel 16 during the operation of the clock mechanism.

Mounted on the shaft 18 is a spool 21 providing a recessed groove 22 for freely receiving a portion of a pendulum hanger 23. The pendulum hanger 23 of this invention is preferably formed from a continuous piece of wire 24 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The free ends 25 and 26 extend in the direction of each other and are insertable into opposite ends of the hollow core 27 of a roller piece 28. The roller piece 28 is provided at each end with peripheral ridges 29 defined by sloping walls 30.

The hanger 23 is formed to provide a bight portion 31 defined by diverging wall sections 32 and 33 which in turn have their opposite ends angularly displaced into converging legs 34 and 35 terminating into the free ends 25 and 26 hereinbefore referred to.

Referring to FIG. 4 of the drawings, it is readily seen that the diverging wall sections 32 and 33 are geometrically arranged so that their inner surfaces 36 and 37 provide tangential supporting contact with corresponding portions of the grooved surface 22 of the spool 21.

By thisarrangement, the limited area of surface contact between the pendulum hanger 23 and the spool 21 is sufficient under the weight of the pendulum arm 38 and pendulum disc 39 to transmit oscillating movement between all of the pendulum elements without restricting the movement of the hanger 23 in a circumferential direction relative to the spool 21 when it is necessary for the hanger 23 to assume a vertical plane through the axis of the pendulum arm 38 by reason of the gravitational pull thereon.

The pendulum arm 38 has one end hook-shaped as at 40 and is of a Width to fit between the sloping Walls 30 of the roller piece 28 so that it will at all times hang from a plane parallel to the bight portion 31 of the pendulum hanger 23. This condition maintains the tangential points of contact of the diverging walls 32 and 33 of the hanger 23 upon the spool 21.

It should be noted that the pallet pins 19 and 20 are spaced with respect to each other and with respect to the base of the teeth 41 provided by the escapement wheel 16, such that they will oscillate about the shaft 18 a sufficient distance so as to forcibly strike the base of the teeth of the escapement wheel 16. By this construction, when the clock embodying the pendulum hanger as heretofore described, is positioned on a vertical support, without minutely aligning the clock in a vertical plane, all that need be done is to forcibly initially move the pendulum arm 38 so that the oscillating movement is transmitted to the hanger 23 and the spool 21, onto the pallet plate 17, causing either of the pins 19 or 20 to strike the escapement wheel 16, thus stopping further movement of the pallet plate 17 and spool 21 in that direction and effecting a reactionary force upon the tangential contact points of contact between the walls 32 and 33 of the hanger 23 with the spool 21, causing the hanger 23 to shift in either direction as required until it assumes a true vertical plane, which in turn permits proper oscillation of the pendulum.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A pendulum mounting for a clock providing an escapement mechanism including a spindle upon which is mounted a driven escapement wheel and a pallet plate having pallet pins alternately striking the escapement Wheel, wherein the improvement comprises:

(a) a circular support fixedly connected to and oscillating with the pallet plate as the pallet pins alternately strike the escapement wheel,

(b) said support comprising a spool of a predetermined diameter having a smooth uniniterrupted periphery,

(c) a hanger interposed between said circular support and an elongated pendulum support arm,

(d) with said hanger providing equally spaced tangential points of contact with said smooth uninterrupted periphery of said spool so as to provide sufficient friction for transmittal of oscillating forces therebetween without preventing independent compensating movement of said hanger with said circular support relative to a vertical plane.

2. A pendulum mounting as defined by claim 1 wherein said hanger providing equally spaced tangential points of contact between said hanger and said spool, includes diverging wall sections adjacent one end of said hanger, with said wall sections providing surfaces spaced from each other a distance less than the diameter of said spool so as to be in equally spaced tangential contact therewith.

3. A pendulum mounting as defined by claim 1 wherein said hanger is formed from a continuous piece of wire and provides a bight portion defined by diverging wall sections, with said Wall sections so distanced with respect to each other that they tangentially contact equally spaced portions of said spool while maintaining said bight portion spaced therefrom.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 819,809 5/1906 Sartor 58134 1,216,727 2/1917 Pixler 58134 1,806,966 5/1931 Copelin 58-434 3,171,244 2/1965 Koplar et a1. 58134 X FOREIGN PATENTS 656,193 1/1938 Germany.

RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner.

S. A. WAL, Assistant Examiner. 

